Prospects for the Commercialization of High-Btu Coal Gasification

摘要

Because of the higher heating value demanded of gaseous fuels in present residential and commercial applications, new coal gasification processes and modifications of existing ones are needed to produce high-Btu gas, also called synthetic or substitute natural gas (SNG), from coal. Five processes are examined in this analysis: Bi-gas, Carbon Dioxide (CO sub 2 ) Acceptor, Hygas, Lurgi, and Synthane. The Lurgi process is available commercially, and the others are in various stages of development. These processes were selected for detailed analysis because they are among the most frequently mentioned candidates for high-Btu coal gasification projects and because detailed cost data are available from a recent (1976) comparative analysis. Since cost estimates for the less mature technologies involve significant uncertainty, the Lurgi estimates for SNG produced by a 250-million-cubic-feet-per-day plant are used as the basis of comparison in this report. (ERA citation 04:021196)